Setting the Record Straight on Submission Show Notes

The concept of submission in marriage gets a bad rap, and a well-known pastor and his wife want to clear the air.

Pastor Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City has written a new book on marriage with his wife Kathy. One of the things they tackle in the book is the bible’s teaching on submission—which has got to be one of the most controversial topics in the church today.

Speaking on the Focus on the Family radio program, Kathy Keller explained biblical submission “Isn’t some man saying you must submit and do everything I say,”

She says that being submissive actually involves "a woman bringing her strength to the table, and not being mealy mouthed."

She also says it’s the husband's duty to facilitate submission and fulfill the role of the authority figure in the marriage.

In a story in ChristianPost.com, Kathy Keller points out that Jesus redefined what authority meant, and offered himself as a sacrifice, so if a man is imitating that role in the marriage, then the woman's gift to the man is her submission.

But she warned that a husband who is just trying to exercise his authority through control isn't imitating the biblical role of a husband.

Pastor Tim Keller stresses that the ultimate goal of a marriage is to have a mission to help God "do the work in the other person because the goal is to walk together to the throne."

If you’d like to strengthen YOUR marriage, I’d highly recommend the Keller’s new book. It’s called The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God.